Jao Daily Travel Pak Giveaway Winner!

The time has come to announce the Jao Brand Daily Travel Pak winner!  Thank you so much for everyone who entered to win these wonderful products.  

So....the lucky number was comment number.....

Which was Tina S who said....

Congrats Tina - you are going to love these products.   I am also going to send you some samples of the Outscent as well.   Just drop me an email with your shipping information and they will be on their way.

Leah Giberson - Houses, Chairs and Trailers, Oh My.

Usually Lulu does a big product roundup on Wednesday, but due to a crazy deadline at work and a wired three year old at home who decided to outlast her parents the past few nights, I am forgoing the big round up this week to feature an artist that I am just enchanted with.


Leah Giberson transforms the ordinary and simple into something extraordinary in her paintings. Homes, chairs, campers – all take on a new life and a deeper reality under Giberson’s brushes. 

As good as it gets

Giberson describes her work this way “There is a quiet anxiety and loneliness in these images of isolated houses, empty chairs, abandoned pools and vacant streets. Shadows loom from unknown/unseen sources, horizon lines become uncomfortably close, people are absent and geographic clues are obscured. Despite all this uneasiness, there is also a sense of bravery or at least a blind and determined optimism.”

Slide

While I love all of her work, the Caravan series is my favorite.   There is just something about these pieces that captivates me.   There is peace and a sense of place that I love.  They are also fueling my ever-increasing urge to grab my family and hit the open road. 

Caravan Series One

Desert Camper One



Dungeness Dwellings



Rear View

Willerby

 
You can shop for prints here and here.   You can also visit Giberson's site and blog.
 

All images are courtesy of Leah Giberson

Silver Spoon Jewelry

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Sugarloaf Craft festival with some friends. What a great show – over 200 talented vendors with everything from glassworks to baskets to specialty foods. If you have a chance to go to an event in your area, I highly recommend it.

One of the vendors that really caught my eye ( and hit my wallet)  when I was there was the Silver Spoon Company out of California. They have a fantastic line of jewelry and accessories based on heirloom patterns (of silverware) from the late 1800s to early 1900s.

I know what you are thinking – more spoon rings…boring! But, no, not these. Designer Jennifer Northup has elevated the concept way above your traditional spoon rings and has come up with some really inventive (and beautiful) jewelry.

I especially love the hummingbird and bee pendants.

Prices start at $29 for the rings, $56 for necklaces and $89 for bracelets.

 

All images courtesy of Silver Spoon Jewelry

PS - Today is the last day to enter the Jao Giveaway.
You know you want to win these great products.

Lulu's Etsy Friday Five 4/8

Happy Friday, All! I hope everyone is amping up for a great weekend.  Mine is going to be full of family, cooking and some vintage shopping, so I am a happy girl.

This week’s Friday Five was inspired by a friend of mine who complained that Lulu doesn’t feature enough fashion. I took up that challenge and found five great designers/vintage sellers this week.

I really adore Liz Spencer’s (aiguilleetfil) use of color and symmetry.  Her designs feel really fresh and modern.  The tunic below really caught my eye, but there are several pieces that I could have featured that are just as great.

Walter Gropius geometric tunic shirtdress by  aiguilleetfil  - $100

This seems to be the season for the statement necklace, and Angie Johnson over at Norwegian Wood has some stunning options.  I think this fringe necklace would be perfect with a simple white tank and dark jeans.   Johnson doesn’t just design accessories, she also has some fab fashion pieces, including a line of eye-catching leggings.

Maximum Fringe Necklace - Navy, Celery, Copper by iheartnorwegianwood - $65

There is nothing about this vintage 60’s mod dress that I don’t love.  It is simple and classic, but can be styled in so many different ways, that you will never run out of possible ways to wear it.   Enid and Edgar is one of my favorite Vintage stores on Etsy.  Their selection is always top notch and I find myself bookmarking them just about every week.

Vintage 60s Ivory Shimmer and Shine Mod Mini Dress by Enid and Edgar - $68

I love an occasion to dress up, skirts and dress and high heels.  But lately, my go-to feel pretty outfit really is a well-fitting pair of dark jeans and a great top.  Which is why this Teacher's Pet Bib shirt by Minxshop makes me so happy.  I love the  feminine vintage detailing and the cut of this top.  It is simple and chic and should be living in my closet.



Teacher's Pet Bib shirt by Minxshop  - $80



Clean, Elegant, Sexy – those three words pretty much sum up Lamixx’s shop.  Her pieces are timeless without looking dated.   Pull ten pieces from her collection and you will have the basis for a classic wardrobe that would take you through countless seasons.  This dress below is so luxe and I adore the simple lines.

Sweet and sexy classic adorned boatneck dress by Lamixx - $44

PS - Have you entered the Jao giveaway yet? The Winner will be picked on Monday, so enter today!

All images courtesy of their respective owners

April Showers brings Great Shopping....

April showers bring May flowers....and a chance to do some shopping.  Stuck inside on a rainy day?  Here are 16 fab floral picks to spend a little time with. 

1. Mini Snapdragons from Potting Shed Creations - $8.00 2. Florapolooza Vase by Red Hot Pottery - $54 3. Out on a Limb Cherry Blossom Necklace by Block Party Press - $55 4. Tapestry Storage Container Set by French Bull - $32 5. Cherry Blossom Market Tote by Modernest - $18 6. Anais Bloom 14x14 Giclee by Papaya Art - $48 7. Butterflies Limited Edition Print by Sabinar - $40

1. Dumpling by Laura George - $15 2. One Spring Day by Yoote - $25 3. Secret Garden Embroidered Book Cover for Penguin Books by Jillian Tamaki (Not yet available for Sale) 4. Tea Mugs by Claire Coles - £25.00  5. Rose Wellies from Victorian Trading Company - $49.95 6. Breathe Eau de Parfume by Lollia - $46 7. Rob Ryan Umbrella from Bloomsbury Store - $22.99 8. Baby's Breath Ring by Ruche - $35.99 9. Fox in the Flowers Bath Bomb by Lush - $6.00

PS - Don't forget to enter the Jao Giveaway!

All images courtesy of their respective owners



Found Roses from The Antique Rose Emporium

There seems to be a marked interest in idea of “Found” items lately. There is a Found magazine, gallery shows of Found photography, books being written about Found letters and art installations that are comprised entirely of Found Objects. There is a romance, a mystery about Found objects. How did they get there, where did they come from, what is their story, why were they abandoned?

You wouldn’t think that that same sort of mystery could show up in your backyard, but the rose rustlers of The Antique Rose Emporium out of Brenham, Texas are bringing Found roses from forgotten places and into your garden.

Moroccan (found in Morocco)

Rose rustling or finding has been around for a while. Rosarians have been “finding” (taking small cuttings from existing plants) heirloom and vintage roses in Victorian cemeteries, abandoned farms and homesteads and down little traveled roads. These found roses are usually found thriving in their abandonment and tend to be pest and disease restraint, low maintenance and highly fragrant.

Natchitoches Noisette (found on a grave in an 1714 Loiusianna fort)

 I just adore the idea of Found roses. That someone’s great-grandmother could have tended a garden and a home, and years later, while she and the home are long gone, her favorite rose can still live on my garden. Or that roses planted on graves in old graveyards can still pay tribute long after the family is gone.

Petite Pink Scotch (found in a 1750 plantation garden on the Cape Fear River)

Aside from Found Roses, The Antique Rose Emporium also carries a large selection of Antique and Heirloom roses. All roses are $18.95 per two gallon plant.

Blush Noisette (1817)



All images are courtesy of The Antique Rose Emporium



Lulu's Etsy Friday Five - 4/1

Friday again.  It is our favorite day over here at Lulu, because we get to show you the great things we found on Etsy this week.  We had to skip last week due to illness, so it is great to get back in the swing!

Peggy Wolf's work is filled with mysterious, beautiful women who captive at first glance. Working out of London, she combines her training as a fashion designer and her talents as an Illustrator to create pieces that are both edgy and softly feminine

Daeumelinchen (8x10) by Peggy Wolf Designs - $20

Give your morning latte a wake-up call with a dash of design and color.  These vintage coffee cups and saucers are just the thing.  

Vintage Coffee Cups and Saucers (6) at Open Door Studio - $52

Catch every one's eye when you accessorize with this dramatic black lace necklace from Stitch from the Heart.  Dress up a white tee shirt, or add drama to a little black dress - either way, this necklace adds instant wow.

Magnolia Black Lace Necklace from Stich from the Heart - $30

Yellena James has created a sumptuous fantasy of a  garden using pen, ink and markers.  In her words, "Within each piece I try to create an intimate world that possesses its own ethos and its own emotional range."  It must be working, her designs has been used by Anthropologie and Nike.

Morning by Yellena James - $20

Sometimes simple, organic shapes are the most beautiful.  A great example of this philosophy are these lovely stoneware votives by Sara Paloma.   

Bone votive by Sara Paloma - $40

Don't forget to enter the Jao Travel Pack Giveaway.

All images are courtesy of their owners.